Bomb-thrower divisible in two parts adapted to be carried on man&#39;s back



D. SAMAIA March 15V, 1932.

BOMB THROWER DIVISIBLE IN TWO PARTS ADAPTED TO BE CARRIED ON MANS BACK'3 'sheets-sheet Filed NOV. 12, 1929 March v15, -1 932. D. SAMAIA1,850,034

BOMB THRowER DIvIsIBLE IN Two PARTS ADAPTED To BE CARRIED oN MANs BACKFiled Nov. 12, 1929 s sheets-sheet D. SAMAIA March l5, 1932.

BoMB'THRowER DIVISIBLE IN Two PARTS ADAPTED To BE CARRIED 0N MANs BACKFiled NOV. l2, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. l5, i932 DNO SAMAIA,OF MILAN, ITALY BOMB-THROWER DIVISIBLE IN TWO PARTS ADAPTED TO lBECARRIED ON MANS BACK Application filed November 12, 1929, Serial No.406,686, and in Italy November 23, 1928.

The present invention relates to a breechloading bomb thrower which islight and can be divided in two parts adapted each to be carried on mansback, the novel bombthrower exhibiting, besides, the following maincharacteristic features:

(a) Special profile of the barrel bore, in order to secure the completecombustion of the launching charge and to adjust the pressure of thegases;

(b) Great stability, with very limited recoil and minimum stresses onthe various parts;

(c) Base easily adaptable to the irregularities of the ground, with thepossibility of setting the lugs horizont-ally even when the ground isnot horizontal;

(ci) Aiming in all directions without need of shifting the base;

(e) Safety devices which permit liring: (1) only after the breech hasbeen completely closed so as to be ready for tiring; (2) only after amember intended to avoid accidental tiring has been revolved in onerather than in another direction.

An execution form of the invention is illustrated by way of example inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view showing thegeneral arrangement of the bomb-thrower.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the launching tube with thespecial bore proile.

Figure 3 is a detail section showing how the bomb-thrower is made torest on its base, and detail of the movement which permits of the lugsbeing brought into horizontal position even when the base is nothorizontal.

Figures 4 and 5 show the detail of the movement which permits of thebarrel being shifted in order to load the cartridge or launching chargeinto it from the rear.

Figures 6 and .7 diagrammatically show the arrangement Jfor opening andclosing the barrel, the closing being rendered semi-automatic.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view partly in section showing the eccentricmounting for the barrel.

As will be seen from Fig. 1, the arm comprises the bomb-thrower properand the base.

The bomb-thrower proper comprises: the launching tube or barrel 8; atwo-legged ysupport 9, in the bottom portion 10 of Whose solid body Vahole is formed for reception of the spindle 14 connecting it to theframe; an operating fork 11 (Figures 6 and 7); a carriage divided intotwo parts viz. the upper part 13 to which the support 9 is connected bythe spindle 14 and which is pivotally mounted as will be seen belowabout a horizontal axis normal to the axis of the lugs igure 3) in orderto enable the correction for lateral listing of the arm. Eccentricsleeves 12 are carried by the arms of the fork and are journalled in thelegs of the support 9 and receive the terminal of the trunnions l2 ofthe barrel 8. rEhe bottom part 15 (Figure 3) is adapted to revolve onthe plate 2O and guided by the circular rim 21 as Well as by a spindle34 normal to the said plate, the part 15 serving for pointing i-nazimuth; La stirrup 16 with pivoting handle 17 which, when in horizontalposition serves for pointing in azimuth and when in vertical positionserves to correct the listing.

For the pointing in altitude two-coaxial screw spindles 18 are provided,which move in the vertical plane passing through -the axis of thelaunching tube; this device is operated by means of a handwheel and is'arranged at the front and connected to the support 9 at the top and tothe carriage at the }bottom.

The base essentially comprises: a Wood platform 19; a plate 2O and acircular rim 21, these parts being connected to one another by anchorbolts 22. In order to anchor the said kbase to the ground a plate orploughshare 23 is applied -to the platform at the rear, extending thewhole length of the platform, and two further harpoon-shapedplough-shares 24 adapted to slide in vertical direction may be appliedto the front portion of the platform. The said harpoons are providedwith teeth which permit of the harpoons being iixed in any desiredposition; the ends of the bolts 22 are projecting below and tooth-shapedso that they may be considered as further harpoons.

Two metal arms 25, connected `to the platform sides by means ofball-joints can be opened out and loaded with earth-filled bags or otherweights; they also serve to facilitate the shifting of the bomb-thrower.Y

In Figure 2 the proiile ot the bore ot the ,barrel orlaunching tube maybe seen. v26 is fthe chamber for reception of the launching charge; 27is a. connecting portion in the form of a truncated cone between the.said chamber `and the reduced portion 28; 29 is a gas eX- fpansionchamber; 30 isa further gas eXpansion chamber in which the projectiletail may find accommodation if projectiles iitted with tails are used;31 is the lodging for the bomb; 32 is a. cardboard disc; 33 is lthelaunching' charge, this charge and the said disc being contained in acase the bottom (inclusive of itsedge) of which is .lodged in a recessformed in the thickness of the breech.

In the barrel having the described internal profile,the gases behave astollowstIn the chamber 26. in which the deiiagration oi' the launchingcharge occurs, the gases, before the deagration is completed, owing totheir extreme elasticity, tend to move toward the forward portion of thebarrel and act upon the bomb; their expanding action, however, is hemmedby the narrow passage 28 due to which the pressure in the chamber 26 isincreased andthe launching charge is completely burnt; this eflect isassisted, though in a very scanty proportion, by the cardboard disc 32which, in spite of its diameter being larger than that of the reducedsection, is obliged to pass through the latter. The now completelydisengaged gases go past the reduced section 28 into the bomb lodging31. On passing through the said throttling, however, the gases acquire ahigh velocity whereas their pressure sinks and such a fact would bedetrimental inasmuch as the gases would iinpinge the bomb prematurelyand act thereon through their velocity alone. For this reason the twoexpansion chambers 29 and 30 have been provided, in which a portion ofthe gas velocity is again converted into pressure so that the gases canexert their action more rationally on a larger surface of the bomb. Thebomb may be fitted with a tail, this tail being accommodated in theexpansion chasm ber 30. In order to minimize the loss of availablechamber space, the tail may be hollow, with open bottom end. By so doingthe further advantage is reached that the propelling action of the gasesis exerted direct on the bottom of the bomb instead of on the bomb tail,as would be the case it the tail were solid.

From Figure 3 it will be gathered that the lower portion 15 of the framerests on the circular plate 2O and forms a single compact and solid masswith the wood platform 19 for withstanding the shocks due to the recoil.

In the center of the plate 2O a recess is formed for reception of aspindle 34 secured to the bottom portion of the frame. The

retiros/'i spindle 34 serves as a guide for the bornbl thrower when thelatter is revolved in an horizontal plane for pointing in azimuth; the

spindle also facilitates the operation of concave surface of the bottomportion 15. Y Vith this arrangement, which permits themupper portion 13to revolve about the spindle 35 (set at right angles to th-e axis or"the lugs) the barrel 0In the bomb-thrower may be given a lateralinclination to the rightor to the left in order to bring the lugs inhorizontal position when required, thus correcting the lateral listing.

ligure l shows the position occupied by the throwing tube 8 when readyfor firing, that is to say when the back end of the breech bears againstthe support 9 and in conjunction therewith forms a tight closure. Atooth 3G projecting from the breech and solid therewith serves to lockthe launching tube to the support in i'iring position.

Figures 4 and 5 show that the two sides or Shanks of the support 9project above the support body and aii'ord bearings for the eccentricsleeves 12 ot the operating fork 11. Due to the eccentricity of thesleeve 12, when the breech is being opened, Jfor instance, the sleeves12 revolve about anaxis arranged eccentrically relatively to thetrunnions 12 so that the barrel is raised (Figure 5) the locking tooth36 released and the throwing tube allowed to pivot in order to beopened. After this pivoting movement, the throwing tube occupies theposition indicated in dotted lines in Figure 5; now the case containingthe launching charge can be introduced into the tube till the edge ofsaid case rests in the seat formed in the breech thickness for thispurpose. In order to close the breech', the same operations areperformed in reversed sequence, the tube being iinally brought intoshooting position by means of the eccentric which acts on the lugs insuch a manner that the tube is lowered into its seat and its rear endforms a tight joint with the solid portion or the support; in thismanner all stressing of the pieces 12 by the lugs isV avoided and therecoil forces are transmitted to the ground across masses standing indirect contact. y

From Figures 6 and 7 it will be seen that the operating Jfork. 11 isprovided with a handle 37 having an inward extension, providing a tooth38 which serves to lock the fork in the position it occupies when thebreech is closed. In order to automatically release the fork from saidposition, a pin 39 is provided on the tooth 38, the pin being arrangedto slide in a groove 40 formed in a member carried by one of thestationary shanks 9 for the support of the launching tube 8. A portionof the groove length is an arc the center of which coincides with thecenter of the pieces l2, and the following length extends the directionof the tangent of the said arc. When t-he handle 37, along wyith theforli 11, is being moved about its spindle, if the pin 39 on the tooth38 lies in the arc-shaped portion of the groove 40, the tooth 38performs no movement relatively to the forl 11; instead, if the pin 38lies in the tangentially direct portion of said groove (Figure 7) thetooth 38 moves in vertical direction relatively to the fork ll; as aconsequence of this movement the tooth 38 disengages itself from thetooth l1 of the launching tube 8 and allows the fork to move freely.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the .same is to be performed, I declarethat what I claim is l. A device of the class described comprising asupporting base, a support adjustably connected therewith andconstituting' a breech block, a launching barrel carried by the supportand cooperative with the breech block7 said support having spaced sidemem-- bers, lugs carried by the .side members, a fork having its armsconnected with the lugs and operable to move the barrel toward or awayfrom the breech block, a tooth carried by the barrel adapted to engagein a recess in the breech block when the barrel is in its launchingposition.

2. A device of the class described comprising a supporting base, asupport adjustably connected therewith7 a launching barrel connectedwith the support, said support constituting a breech block for thebarrel, a fork member having eccentric sleeves associated with its armsfor raising or lowering the barrel with respect to the breech block, anda tooth carried by the fork member adapted to engage a tooth carried bythe barrel as and for the purpose .set forth.

3. A device of the class described comprising a supporting base, asupport adjustably connected therewith and including spaced sides, alaunching barrel associated with the support, said support constituting'a breech block for the barrel., a fork member having its armseccentrically connected with the sides of the support and operable toraise and lower the barrel with respect to the breech block, one side ofthe support having a `grooved member' thereon, a tooth carried by thefork member and engageable in the groove of the member and' adapted tocoact with a tooth carried by the barrel for locking the launchingbarrel with the breech block.

4. A device of the class described comprising a supporting base, alaunching barrel mounted thereon for universal movement, said basehaving a ground engaging plow the purpose set forth.

DINO SAMAIA.

